Robert Englund

After five years of success in regional theater Robert Englund returned to the west coast where he had grown up. His very first audition landed him a starring role in the 1973 film Buster and Billie directed by Daniel Petrie.

Far from living the classic hand to mouth existence of a struggling actor, Englund worked steadily through the 70’s playing best friends, bad guy #1 and southern red-necks and starring opposite Henry Fonda, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Bridges, Sally Field and Arnold Schwarzenegger among others.

In the 70’s, regarded as the second Golden Age of American movies, Englund was privileged to work for such classic film directors as Robert Aldrich, Robert Mulligan, J. Lee Thompson, Bob Rafelson and John Milius.

During this time Englund was living in Malibu, fishing off his porch at high tide and surfing when not slogging through traffic on the seemingly endless rounds of interviews and call-backs that fill the days of every working actor.He guest starred in scores of TV shows as well as working alongside some of the biggest stars of that decade including Barbra Streisand, Richard Gere, Burt Reynolds and Charles Bronson.

Finally audiences could put a name to his familiar face when Englund was cast as Willie the friendly alien in the hit mini-series and subsequent weekly TV show “V”.Within weeks, Englund went from questions like: “Didn’t I go to high school with you?” to “Aren’t you that lizard guy on TV?”.Decades later Willie still generates fan mail from science fiction devotees both in America and around the world.

The series was a huge success.As a result Englund figured he would be eternally typecast as a sweet and lovable alien.To counter-balance this public image, he looked for a role that would allow him to demonstrate another side of his talents.During one hiatus from filming the series, he auditioned for a hot young director making an interesting low budget horror movie for the independent studio New Line Cinema.Englund’s interview with Wes Craven landed him the role playing the burn scarred dream demon Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street and launched him into horror history.

An international hit, the movie made New Line Cinema a major Hollywood player and prompted seven sequels and a syndicated TV series.The character of Freddy Krueger has appeared on talk shows, comic books, rap videos, and even cartoon appearances as a guest on “The Simpsons,” “South Park,” and “Family Guy.” There are numerous Freddy Krueger action figures, dolls, and attendant merchandising including video games.Gottlieb came out with a very popular pin-ball machine based on the movies.

Englund’s portrayal of Freddy Krueger blasted him into the pop culture vernacular as heir apparent to the horror icons of the past, destined to stand alongside Lon Chaney’s Phantom of the Opera and Boris Karloff’s monster in Frankenstein.

In the mid 80’s Englund starred in the hour-long network TV series “Downtown,” a serio-comic look at parolees.The short-lived series also starred Blair Underwood and Marishka Hargitay.

The international success of “V” and the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels opened the door for film work abroad.Englund has starred in movies shot in such exotic locales as Budapest, Bucharest, St. Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Madrid, Palermo, Barcelona and Zagreb.

Englund is sought after as a guest at film festivals all over Europe and has served on juries and been celebrated with awards at festivals in Paris, Rome, Brussels and Sitges (Spain) to name a few.

After over 75 feature length films, four TV series and countless episodic guest star roles, Englund is now directing as well as acting, and exploring the world of reality TV, internet programming and voice-over work.

FAQ

Every day, I was in that chair for three to four hours or more. Four hours to be camera ready with the jigsaw puzzle of twelve or more pieces of pre-painted foam latex glued to my face with the seams blended together. Then I’d wear Freddy’s teeth and sometimes contact lenses.

I was starring in the international hit TV show “Visitors” at the time, playing Willie the good alien. The science fiction audience is so loyal and “V” was virtually the only Sci-Fi show on so I thought I would be playing Willie forever. I was interested in having a contrasting character out there.

I was on hiatus from “V,” and my agent sent me on an interview with Wes Craven to audition for Freddy. I knew who Wes was because he had a cult following. I had been hanging in a New Wave bar where scenes from The Hills Have Eyes and Last House on the Left were playing in a continuous loop alongside David Lynch’s Eraserhead. I was curious and interested in working for Wes Craven. I looked very tan and healthy, but I knew he wanted a monster. When I arrived at the interview, I smeared some cigarette ash under my eyes to make them look sunken. I popped the hood of my car and pulled the dipstick and ran some engine oil through my blond curls to make my hair flat and thin.

I can be a bit of a motor mouth, I tend to talk a lot. But when I got in the room with Wes, I just stared at him. I just listened while he told me the story of Freddy the dream stalker. The next thing I knew I had the part.

Honestly, when I first heard Nightmare was being remade, I was very interested. The first Nightmare movie is very original and very scary. It is like folk art. But the low budget shows at times. Now, anything you can imagine, you can create on the screen. The dream world, the incredible illogic of nightmares, can all be created with CGI. It is inevitable that movies get remade, especially as technology advances.There are only so many stories. Stories will always be more important than mere effects.

I like 3: Dream Warriors and 4: The Dream Master as a double bill. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare was a great reunion with John Saxon and Heather Langenkamp. I think it is the most clever, the first deconstructed horror movie where we wink at the fans and also deliver the scares. My favorite Freddy performance is Part 4.

When I was 12, I accompanied my cousin to the prestigious Teenage Drama Workshop at California State University, Northridge. I thought I was going to be an usher or help out backstage, but instead I landed the starring roles of Pinocchio, Aladdin, and Hansel. When I got my first big laughs as Pinocchio, I was hooked. Hanging out back stage with the harem girls from Aladdin who were blowing smoke rings wearing only sequin covered brassieres helped seal the deal. I was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London then attended the American branch of the school. After college, I was a theater snob working in the mid-west. I saw my friends in movies so decided to move back home to California to give films a try. I landed a starring role on my very first audition in a movie called Buster and Billie in the spring of 1973 and never stopped working.

Wes Craven wrote the story, came up with the character of Freddy. Freddy is a boogeyman who exists in the subconscious imagination of his future victims. He hates the young, he exploits their weaknesses, their fears and flaws. He is the bastard step-father of us all. He is a cruel clown bent on revenge, punishing the families of those who victimized him. He stalks them in their dream landscape where he exploits their most private fears. I think the fans respond to Freddy’s unapologetic, politically incorrect joy in his revenge.

Freddy’s glove, that he made in his boiler room, is now a classic horror image. The actual weight of the glove gave me the idea for Freddy’s “gunslinger” posture with one shoulder dropped down. Klaus Kinsky’s performance in Nosforatu also influenced how I move as Freddy.

When I flesh out my character, I start with the script, the words, and build from there, adding a voice, movements, and a menacing stance. The make-up liberated me so that I could be more physical and theatrical.

Freddy’s deep voice and cruel sense of humor came from Wes Craven’s script. The fans instantly fell in love with Freddy’s dark humor. The writers, directors, and especially editors of the sequels exploited this.